Conventionally, there is no convenient way to browse and view a series of image attachments received via email without leaving that email application. Images can appear inline in the body of the email, but browsing through a series of image attachments is restricted to vertically scrolling the body of the email. The presentation size of these image attachments is also restricted to the size of the email application view window, which is typically small. Existing software applications that allow a user to browse and view images, are not generally integrated into email applications. Additionally, a user may have to download and import the images into such software applications in order to view them, but this takes time and is often not desired when the user just wants to quickly see the images in a received email message.
In addition, it is often difficult to navigate within a series of images such as within a slide show. An image may be shown, with arrows for moving forwards and backwards. Such a display does not facilitate instantaneous movement from one image to a second image that is not adjacent to the first. Such a display also fails to provide the user with a sense of the context of the current image within the overall slide show or set of images. There is no easy and convenient way to switch between the full-sized view and a view that reveals context.
Image navigation systems and software often provide a series of thumbnails, allowing the user to click on a thumbnail to see a full-sized version of the corresponding image. However, these schemes still provide no easy way to easily switch between a full-sized view and a view that provides context showing where the image fits within the overall slide show.